Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, the Labour Party’s Vice-Presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, recently addressed a comment made by Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka, who had declared Peter Obi as unfit to lead Nigeria.
In an interview with Arise TV, Baba-Ahmed suggested that Soyinka’s apprehension stemmed from the potential positive changes that Peter Obi could bring to Nigeria.
When questioned about why Obi hasn’t intervened to prevent the Obidient members from attacking Soyinka, Baba-Ahmed responded, “Peter Obi and I have no control over the Obidients. Peter Obi took a risk without safety measures, and he faced the consequences. Therefore, it’s not Peter Obi’s job to manage the Obidients; it’s Wole Soyinka’s responsibility to uphold his own respect and dignity.”
In a previous interview, Soyinka had accused Obi of inciting his followers, known as ‘Obidients’, to attack him and others who held differing views online during the run-up to the 2023 presidential election. When asked about his thoughts on the movement, Soyinka linked it to education. He expressed his disgust and contempt for the insults hurled by the Obidient Movement, especially when they began fabricating facts.
Baba-Ahmed refrained from engaging in a dispute with Soyinka, instead choosing to continue praying for the respected elder statesman. He added, “Intellectual prowess does not grant one the right to insult anyone. I recall Soyinka insulting the late General Sani Abacha. He had no right to do so.”
